Fate's Chosen Two
by Iambic Brose
Summary: For Harry Potter, he's always been the Chosen One. But when it comes to his love life, well... Well he gets a choice, in that regard. And many times, he ends up choosing someone out of the ordinary. (Drabble Collection)
1. Scarves and Socks (Soulmate String AU)

**A/N: Hello, all! Welcome to our drabble collection! These will often be of different AUs, and can vary wildly in length. Some may be AUs you're already acquainted with, whereas some, such as this one, may be new to you. This particular drabble is from what we call our String AU. Most (though not all) people have a string, a thread that ties their heart to the heart of their soulmate. Draco has been able to see these strings for as long as he can remember. Of course he can, being the child of two soulmates. But the case of his own love life... That's a little more difficult. ~Kas**

* * *

It was a bit... Sweet, Draco supposed. He watched from afar, Harry reading a book on the chair in the common room, scarf wrapped tightly around him and what appeared to be multiple pairs of socks layering his feet. He looked like he was expecting to freeze to death and he was as close to the fire as he could get the chair to go without someone yelling at him over it. Draco wondered if Harry just liked being warm or if he was remembering the winter he went through last year. He saw Harry start to look up, and look around the room, and Draco felt... Warm? Maybe- Not quite.

It took a few moments to realize his hand was wrapped around the string once again and only a few moments more to see Harry was looking right at him with slightly narrowed eyes. Draco didn't move his hand, didn't react, only glanced to the fire. How could he be wearing so much, though, while still sitting so close to the fire? He must have been burning up. He saw, out of the corner of his eye, Harry look back down to his book and curling up even more in his chair as if he was honestly, _actually_ cold. Strange thing, Harry Potter. Releasing the string, Draco looked around to be certain he wasn't being watched.

He took his wand out carefully and aimed it towards Harry, giving it a small flick to cast a low-level warming charm over at him. Harry seemed to slump into his chair at once, relaxing completely before he paused, sniffed the air, and then _smiled_ at Draco. What on earth was that about? His soulmate was insane. That was the only explanation. It was to be expected, really-

Wait. Harry had mentioned once that magic had smells- Fuck. Was he able to sense magical signatures? Right. Alright. For once in his life, Draco Malfoy was going to take a risk. He walked over and sat down on a nearby couch, watching the fire and indirectly watching Harry. Of course. Why would he want to watch him?

"Thanks." Harry's voice was hardly any louder than a whisper and sounded as warm as the fire.

Draco frowned, glancing back to him again. "For what?"

"Dunno. Everything, I guess."

That startled Draco more than a bit, and he had to stop himself from speaking without thinking. But... But he had nothing to thank Draco for. And here Harry was claiming that Draco should be thanked for- For _everything?_ No, he must have been mistaken. He must not have been thinking straight, or something.

"I can hear you overthinking, you know." Bloody Harry Potter. "Stop overthinking it."

"What? I'm not," he defended himself.

"You overthink everything, especially things like this, so just shut up and enjoy the nice fire."

"I don't understand how you can be wearing all of that," Draco finally huffed, crossing his arms. "You must be _sweltering._ "

"'S a little cold, honestly." A little- He was _cold_ under all of that? Bloody hell.

He scoffed, "You're _cold?_ " As if to prove a point, Harry gave a sharp shudder before frowning at him and giving a huff. Draco frowned as well. "What?"

" _Quit it._ "

"Quit what? What am I doing?"

"That- That _tugging_ sensation I always get when you're around."

"Tugging-" Oh. Right. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh, yes you do, otherwise you wouldn't have that smug smile on that you do some days."

"Smug smile? Oh, no. I don't smile. And smug is just so... Unseemly."

"It's smug. It's a smug smile and a smug face." It was far too fun to snark with Harry Potter.

"Mm. No. It's not." Oh. Look at that. He still hadn't let go.

"What are you even _doing_?" Harry was getting all huffy and tucking himself more into his blankets, glaring at him.

"Me? Doing? Nothing. I'm not doing anything."

"Just like you didn't use a warming charm on me, I bet."

Draco turned from him, hefting his legs up onto the seat beside him. "Why would I do that?"

"Because you care too much." Harry waited until he could catch his gaze, giving a smile. "The world's biggest secret, yeah? Draco Malfoy cares too much."

"Wh- _What?!_ "

"You're only proving my point," he _smirked_. "And attracting attention."

"I don't- How _dare_ you! You could not be farther from the truth!" He was sitting up properly now. "But that's not unusual, Harry Potter knowing _nothing._ "

"I think I know some things." Harry was- He looked like he knew something that Draco didn't. "Thanks for the warming charm."

" _I didn't!_ "


	2. Mask (Veela Draco AU)

**A/N: Background of this little drabble is fairly simple. Draco Malfoy is half-veela, and has come into his inheritance while at Hogwarts in his fourth year. Of course, being from the family of purebloods, he can't let this little secret spread across the school.**

* * *

The more Harry saw Malfoy these days, the more he couldn't stop thinking about the Veela he had seen at the Quidditch World was... There was something about him. Something that reminded Harry of those same Veela. Probably the hair, honestly, but it was- It was more than that. It was the way his eyes seemed to shift and change when angry or when his features almost _sharpened_ when really pushed to the edge. Some days, when he and Harry were really at each other's throats, his magic smelled like... Like smoke.

It was strange. Maybe it was because Fleur was here that Harry was really starting to draw all these connections - could the Malfoys have Veela blood? That'd sure change their definition of 'pure.' "Potter," he heard spat at him. "Watch your wandering eyes."

"Or what, Malfoy?" Like sure eyes could swirl with 'magic' and all that, but Draco's were different. Darker? Maybe not darker. Just... different.

Malfoy sneered at him, hand tightening quickly into a fist. "You'll find out."

"Really?" Huh. Usually he just reached straight for his wand. Weird. "And just how am I gonna find out?"

"Draco, darling, little Malfoy!" Suddenly Fleur was there and hugging a stunned Draco around the shoulders before she was speaking quickly and softly in French, her smile not quite a smile. Draco seemed to breathe deeply, nodding along and speaking back to her. Fleur's laughter was like ringing bells as she gently released Draco, grabbing his hands lightly instead and giving them a tug before speaking. Draco- He could smile? Without making it a smirk, or without it being mean? He was smiling at her and nodding, talking again.

"What just happened," Harry muttered, staring at the two and, seriously. Draco had been about to fly into a rage and now he was calm? Just like that? What, were they- Were they _dating_ or something? He knew how to date? He was dating _her?_ It was- It was _Fleur_. Every guy in the school wanted a chance at dating her - that and she was a _Champion_. How the hell did Draco even get her attention? This required some investigating.

A few days of digging didn't really turn up anything, though. It just... It seemed like the two had started talking one day and then they started getting along. Simple as that. In fact, maybe Fleur was casting some charms or other on Draco because he was looking... He looked fit, these days. He looked better and he didn't seem to rile up as easily. He took whatever came at him with a smirk and shot his own lines right back. "...Malfoy."

"Oh, please don't start this today," Hermione groaned, sighing when Draco turned to look at them. "So much for that, then."

"You- Are you sick?"

"Delighted at the opportunity to get rid of me, Potter?" Draco smirked. "Unfortunately for you, I'm in perfect health."

Harry gave a shake of his head. "No, it's just... You're glowing."

"I- I beg your pardon!" Draco looked more flustered than angry, but his cheeks still flushed a splotchy red color.

"Literally. You're literally glowing."

"I- What?" Draco looked down at himself, studying his skin before he seemed to realize what Harry was talking about. He then- He paled? "I need to go."

Harry turned as he rushed off. "Hang on, it's not-"

Draco was already gone and Hermione was giving him a very odd look. "Harry... He wasn't glowing."

"What? Yes he is. He looks all... He's glowing."

"Mm." Hermione didn't look convinced. "Why don't we go down and visit Hagrid later tonight?" Oh for- He wasn't _crazy_ and distracting him wasn't going to work.

Frowning at her, he shook his head. "I'm _not crazy._ He was glowing."

"Harry, I didn't see him glowing whatsoever. Are you sure it wasn't your eyes playing a trick on you?" Hermione grinned and tapped his glasses, throwing things out of focus for a moment. "You don't have the best vision."

"Wha- Hey, don't do that. I can't see!"

"Oh, you're fine," Hermione huffed, looking close to laughing as she tapped at Harry's glasses again, this time settling them back in place. "I really didn't seem him glowing, Harry."

"Well I did. And I'm going to figure it out."

He got his proof the next time he saw Draco in the Great Hall. Draco's hair was _fluttering_ out, almost. Kind of. All of it looked slicked down with product, save for one lock that looked to just... Float. No one seemed to have really noticed, yet, but, _come on_. How could you not notice that? "You're staring at him again, mate."

"Look at his hair. And he is glowing."

"He's not glowing and his hair is always pretentious. Nothing new." Harry looked to Ron slowly before forcibly turning him around.

" _Look._ " Ron sighed and stared at Draco for a solid five seconds before his nose scrunched up.

"Does look a little weird, I guess? I dunno, I don't see anything crazy, though."

"Look at that piece of hair! On the back of his head. Ron, it's _floating._ "

"Yeah, and?" Ron must have seen something in his look that was funny because he _laughed_. "Magic, mate. Probably charmed his hair that way so more people would be looking, the prat. Weird, though. Don't know a spell that only does it to one area like that."

"It's because he's got so much product in the rest of it it's probably weighing it down. Don't you two get it?! Malfoy is a veela!" While a few people glanced over at his whispered shout, Ron only laughed again.

"I don't think Veela even _can_ be guys. Trust me, mate, you're just seeing things."

"No, I'm not!" Harry began to watch him again. He didn't even notice the hair. It seemed like Draco had no _idea_ what his hair was doing. It was- It was _weird_.

"Alright, well, let me know if it gets worse. Or noticable." Harry watched this... It was almost like a wave across the Great Hall. It seemed everyone was whispering at once to each other. Ron seemed to notice it too, raising an eyebrow. "New gossip?"

"I dunno. Hey, Seamus," Harry called.

"Harry! Is it true? Malfoy is a veela?"

"Good one," Ron snorted quietly. "Got the whole school on that one real quick- Ah, Malfoy seems to have heard it." Harry quickly followed Ron's look to where Draco was now storming out of the hall as quickly as he could. "Probably all offended, snake he is. Though I reckon you're right. I saw another piece or two of hair starting to float up."

"Right. Offended." Or scared. Was- Could Draco actually be a Veela? It had been a half-thought out theory more than anything, but putting it all together and now Draco's reaction? It really couldn't be anything else.

"It's nothing for us to worry over," Hermione said firmly, returning to her lunch.

"Right." Except Harry wasn't worried, he was just... curious.

"Look, Fleur is going after him now."

"She's what?" Fleur indeed was quickly leaving the hall and she _did_ look worried- Veela. Veela blood.

Ron huffed. "What's got her all... Girly? What's Malfoy got that I haven't got?"

"Common sense and decency." Well. Hermione must have been feeling brutal today.

"I'm plenty decent!"

"Right." The word was clipped off and completely blank, and, right, Harry should go see what was up with Draco. Right now. Away from these two.

Easily, he heard their voices down the hall, and Harry followed after them. "-me to calm down!"

"Draco, it will only get worse if you don't calm yourself."

"How can it get worse?! You heard them as well as I did! The entire school knows!"

"They _suspect_. That is much different," Here Fleur said something in French that Harry couldn't quite understand.

"How is it any different? It's already been _three months_ since I came into the inheritance, and Potter has already been on my tail everyday, waiting for some kind of slip!"

"I am sure he doesn't suspect," Fleur sighed, Harry inching closer and catching a glimpse of them. "You need to stay calm or else it will only make it harder."

Draco was shaking his head at her, everything about him _sharp._ "I can't!" Fleur frowned at him and slipped into French, Draco snapping right back himself and oh, great. Harry couldn't understand anything. But... Whatever she was saying seemed to be working. Draco, from where he had been hyperventilating, was taking slower, deeper breaths and seemed to be calming down. That was good, Harry supposed. He still wondered what they were saying, though.

It took a few more minutes before Fleur was switching back to English with a little smile. "Better?"

"Thank you."

"Of course." Fleur kissed Draco's cheek before giving another smile and flouncing away, looking quite pleased with herself. Draco looked like he took a few more breaths before he was leaning against the wall and covering his eyes. Harry backed up a few steps before walking down the hall casually, making it look like he hadn't just overheard them - well, could it really be called over-hearing when he didn't understand the language? Draco- Oh, jeez. He really wasn't okay. He hadn't even looked up at Harry as he walked by- What was that sound?

It took a few seconds to realize that sound was... Oh, jeez. Biting his lip, Harry carefully doubled back to Draco, voice quiet. "Malfoy? Hey, are you-"

" _Shut up!_ I'm fine!" Yeah. Okay. Because crying in a hallway definitely meant he was fine.

"Yeah, no, you're not."

"Why can't you ever just _leave me alone?!_ "

"Dunno, but I'm pretty good at doing the opposite of that." Harry stared at Draco, ready to ask for confirmation before he held back a sigh. He was too much of a Gryffindor. "You know, I think I overheard Snape at the end of class going on about no one disturbing him because he was going to be working on potions, so, you know. Go bother him, I guess?"

"Just go away." Rolling his eyes, Harry turned to continue on his way.

"Fine, go back to hiding behind your mask, or whatever."


	3. Eyes (Between the Pages)

**A/N: _WARNING!_ Between the Pages is a Tomrarry (Tom/Draco/Harry) centric fic of ours in the works! If you're not interested in that sort of thing, skip ahead. That being said, Between the Pages stems off of our Time Twister AU where Draco finds Tom's diary. Instead of Tom basically turning Draco into Ginny, in this AU, it was much harder for Tom to take energy from Draco (and occasionally Harry) due to the time magic surrounding Draco. Shenanigans happened, he's no longer a horcrux, and is learning to love. Sixth year Riddle is now working with Harry and Draco (and regrettably Dumbledore) to take down Voldemort, who obviously twisted his original intentions. ~Kas**

* * *

It was interesting- Well, everything about Tom and Draco was interesting to Harry, but it was their _eyes_ that really caught his attention. While most dismissed them as boring and ordinary - grey and brown - Harry only saw rolling storms and sparks of golden hidden underneath. And they both, for all their 'maturity' and everything, they never seemed to realize it. Draco, of course, knew that Harry thought the world of him, and knew that objectively he looked good. Tom... That was an entirely different trial. He seemed to know, too, that he was 'handsome' in the most general sense of the word, but only saw it as a bargaining chip.

There had to be a way to get Tom to see how good he looked. He didn't seem to mind too much when he was drawn, so maybe Harry could try that? Focus on the details that he thought made Tom beautiful and maybe Tom would then see those details in himself."...The Americans made it to the moon?"

"What? Oh, yeah- Yes. They did. Back in the sixties. It was a real big thing."

"Have we at all," Tom hummed, flipping through his current book. Apparently a world history book? Hm.

"Don't think so," Harry shook his head slightly, trying to focus back on what he had been doing before he got lost in his thoughts. What had- Oh, right! Sketching Tom.

"What are you up to, over there?"

"Drawing. Sketching. Wasting my time. Whatever you wanna call it."

"I don't consider it a waste of time."

"I'm glad you don't." That was another thing. It wasn't just his features that made Tom amazing, but the kindness and warmth that shone through - eventually. It took some digging.

Tom seemed to huff and grumble. "You wouldn't be doing it if it were a waste of time. Idiotic." A lot of digging, Harry mused. Leaving his seat, Harry crawled onto Tom's bed and moved close enough that their knees were touching before he went back to his drawing. "Hmph." But he did move his leg to be against Harry's. That was already far better than it had been.

"I'm working on your eyes," Harry offered, partly so Tom would have an excuse to hide behind in case he showed any 'affection.' "They're difficult."

"Are they? They're just brown."

"No?" Harry frowned, looking back to Tom. "Definitely not."

"Yes, they are," Tom scoffed. "I think I've looked in a mirror often enough."

"Not hard enough," Harry said, leaning forward to cup Tom's cheek and tilt his head towards a stray beam of sunlight. "There's golden flecks in them in the light. A bit of green, too, sometimes."

Tom shook his head out of Harry's grip. "You're ridiculous. Lying doesn't suit you."

"I'm not lying, you're just blind when it comes to some things." As usual. He had practice with Draco, at least.

"I'm not the one here with glasses."

"Ha ha." Harry made certain his tone was dry as possible. "Your eyes are just... They're- They're really amazing."

"You would call whatever I put into the toilet amazing," Tom said with a roll of his eyes.

"Careful, your upbringing is showing," Harry teased, tone light enough that he knew Tom wouldn't take offense to it. Probably. Tom moved away from Harry, giving him an icy glare. It could have been worse, he supposed. "Stay still. The lighting is perfect right now."

" _The lighting._ " Right, definitely upset.

"Yes, the lightning. Shadows affect everything differently." Harry watched Tom for a moment before giving him a little nudge. "Come on, then. What other questions do you have for me about muggle history?"

"Nothing." At least he didn't move his head, as per Harry's request, but he did flick his eyes back down to his book. Mm... He didn't look too upset, mostly just annoyed and ruffled. Harry gave it a good twenty minutes until he relaxed. "This is ridiculous."

"Why is it ridiculous?"

"So many want to claim everything is different but it's not. It's all the same way I left it."

"I mean... A few things have changed, haven't they?"

"Mm. Here and there."

Harry just barely held in a laugh. "Way to be vague."

"Well? Voldemort just seems to be another Grindelwald."

"Does he? I don't know much about Grindelwald - he almost caused a war before Voldemort, didn't he?"

Tom gave him a nod, his eyes flashing. "Nearly, yes. And were it not for _Dumbledore,_ " he sneered. "He would have succeeded."

"That explains why everyone loves Dumbledore, then." Huh. Tom's eyes seemed more _green_ when he was angry.

"He has two Order of Merlins, and that's only one of his long, unending list of personal achievements."

"Guess you'll just have to be better than him." Tom rose an eyebrow at Harry and yeah, okay. Maybe not the best advice. "Shut up. You know what I mean."

"Still can't believe I've been reduced so thoroughly as to working _with_ him."

"Mm." Harry didn't really have anything nice to say about that man. Not after how he had treated them like pawns when children. But then, Tom _did_ see Harry and Draco the same way. It was weird that Harry could so thoroughly turn away from Dumbledore, and yet he so eagerly turned towards Tom. But... But they _were_ different. Tom had always been pretty transparent. He didn't hide from them now when he was plotting or scheming. He was very Gryffindor for a Slytherin in some ways. "Hey, Tom?"

"Yes, Harry?"

"I love you." Harry liked saying those words - and Tom needed to hear them more.

"Hmph."

"Also, stay still. The light is perfect."

"I haven't bloody moved, have I?!"

Ah, then again, Harry was the most Gryffindor of them all and it was just too much fun to rile up his Slytherins.


	4. Stars (Malfoy Twins AU)

**A/N: This AU is basically 'Draco has little siblings.' During their fourth year, Draco's two little siblings, a pair of twins named Aquarius and Scorpius, begin their first year at Hogwarts. Aquarius, her big brother's little princess, of course joins him in Slytherin. Scorpius, the more independent of the two, after nearly becoming a hat stall, goes to Gryffindor. Hearing from Draco about how much of a hero Harry always is, Scorpius immediately latches onto Harry, gaining Draco's approval. ~Kas**

* * *

"You're a Weasley," Scorpius said suddenly during lunch one day. Harry blinked at him, slightly surprised at the random statement, while Ron gave a slow nod.

"Ah... Yeah. I am."

"So, you're pureblood," he half-asked, giving a nod, himself. "So then… Who are you named after?"

"Oh, er… I mean, Mum liked the name Ronald. Maybe an uncle or something with that name? Maybe?"

Scorpius frowned at this. "You don't even know. Are you even named after anyone?"

"Probably not," Ron shrugged, not seeming to realize that Scorpius probably didn't want to hear that. Jeez, Malfoys and their traditions.

"How can you not be named after _anyone?_ "

"Dunno," Ron shrugged. "You'd have to ask Mum."

Scorpius' nose wrinkled and he shifted his food around with his fork. "Draco was right."

"What was he right about this time," Harry sighed.

"You can't trust someone who can't even tell you where their _name_ comes from." There wasn't any chance of Harry not laughing at that because- _Come on_. That was _hilarious_. "What? It's _true!_ "

"Alright, then, Scorpius. Where does your name come from?"

"From the constellation, obviously," Scorpius snorted. "From my mother's side of the family. All of the Blacks are named after stars, just like Draco and Aquarius."

"Makes sense for Sirius," Harry mumbled under his breath before pausing and frowning. "Hang on, your mom's name is Narcissa, isn't it? Like a flower?"

"Narcissus," he nodded. "And her sister, Auntie Bella. Her name is Bellatrix, from Orion. Then there's their other sister, Andromeda, but we aren't supposed to talk about her."

"Why aren't you supposed to talk about her?" What could be so bad to a Dark family like the Malfoys that they didn't want to talk about a _sister_?

"Because she married a _muggle._ Not even one with good breeding, or a good name. Just a plain old muggle."

"...Oh." So Draco's behavior was like- Well, like Dudley, really. Both were raised with these opinions and outlooks and forced to think and act like their parents. Jeez. Scorpius shrugged, only going back to eating his food. That... If Harry had an aunt he'd never met, he'd do anything he could to try to meet her. "So, star names. Those are kind of cool, at least."

" _Kind_ of cool? They're the _coolest!_ " Ohho? There's the Gryffindor in him, then.

"You like Astronomy so far, then?"

" _Duh._ Who doesn't? It's the only class at Hogwarts that's actually _cool._ " Oh, good, the others were staring at Scorpius, too, because, really. _How_ was this kid related to Draco? At all? "...What?"

"Nothing," Harry said quickly, kicking Ron to shut him up before he could say anything offensive. "It's good you're enjoying that class. What's your favorite part?" Maybe this would get him to open up more.

"Oh- Well- Well, I never knew how to chart them, or anything. But Mother always told us all the stories behind all the stars, so I already know all of those." He was smiling up at Harry. "Draco _was_ right about you."

"He was? About what?" Probably something sarcastic or viciously cruel. Scorpius gave a shrug, still smiling as he tucked into his lunch. Honestly, such a little Malfoy.

He wasn't too bad of a Gryffindor so far.


	5. Colors (String AU)

Draco looked down at his own string, tugging at it lightly. Deep emerald green, and light pale blue. He followed the string to where it led right into Harry, the other talking with his friends and laughing and smiling like they hadn't just been through a war. How was it so easy for them? Their string had already begun to glow that golden, the pink and orange beginning to fade.

It couldn't just be that easy. Things could _never_ be that easy, but yet… Here they were. Alive and safe and with the dark days of the last war finally fading behind them. He glanced across the common room to Blaise and Pansy. Not cuddled together, but their own string of maroon and mauve was glowing quietly as they gossiped with each other.

Draco wished it could be that easy with him and Harry. Hell, he wasn't even sure if Blaise and Pansy _knew_ they were soulmates, but their relationship had always been so… uncomplicated. Effortless. Harry paused in his conversation, a hand on his chest as he turned to face Draco. Draco watched him for a moment before looking back down again. Blue. Green.

Maybe he should just tell Harry what they were. That's what he should do, right? Except, no. Weasley could see the strings, too, and he had never told Harry what they were. They both knew it was better this way. Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy as soulmates… -What a joke.


	6. Pumpkin (Fake Dating AU)

**A/N: In their eighth year of Hogwarts, Harry and Draco both (separately and individually) have been suffering from their friends' attempts to pair them off. Under the excuse that it will get their friends to back off, Draco approaches Harry with a proposal that the both of them pretend to be romantically involved. ~Kas**

* * *

"Hogsmeade weekend is coming up," Harry pointed out to Draco, trying to figure out why sitting so close to the other wasn't really bothering him. Sure, yeah, they were supposed to be 'dating,' but still. "Halloween day."

"Yes, thank you, I know how to read," Draco told him, pointedly turning a page in his book. Harry had equal urges to shove him off the couch and try to lean even more against him and he wasn't sure which was worse.

"I mean should we… go. First real 'date' and all that?" That had Draco pausing, and looking at him.

"Oh. Yes, I… I suppose we should."

"We won't have to spend all day there. We can just go in, look at a few shops, and then head back to the castle."

"...Look at? As in not actually shop?"

"I- I mean we can shop if you want?" Jesus, Harry forgot who he was talking to for a minute, there. "Just don't buy the whole store, I guess."

Draco scoffed. "If I had wanted to, I would have already."

"Great." Harry shifted around to get more comfortable, sighing under his breath. "At least it'll throw people off, especially our friends."

"Throw them off?" Why was he confused? This was all his idea.

"The- The whole reason we're 'dating'? To stop making them think we need to be set up with people?" What was _with_ him today?

"Oh, yes. Of course. Right- Yes."

"You alright? You seem… weird."

"Yes, I'm fine." Hm… They'd see.

::

"Are you ready?"

"Ready? For- Oh. Right. Yeah, sure." The stupid Hogsmeade visit.

Draco looked him up and down. "You're going like that?"

"I- Yes?" Harry was wearing jeans and a couple of layered shirts with a sweater overtop. "Is there something wrong with how I'm dressed?" Draco sighed heavily.

"We would be here all day."

"Such a caring boyfriend," Harry snorted, holding his hand out. "C'mon, then. Let's get this over with." Draco gave him a really weird look before taking his hand. Harry decided to be gracious and ignore it as he tugged Draco along by his hand. "Right. Three Broomsticks, first, then?"

"The Three Broomsticks? Not Beans and Mugs?"

"I mean, if you want," Harry shrugged. "I just like Three Broomsticks because I can listen in to the gossip. Let's me know who I need to avoid for this month."

"Beans and Mugs is quieter, with better drinks," Draco told him as the two left.

"Quieter sounds nice." Which it did. "I don't think I've ever been in there before, though."

"Don't worry, I'll order for you."

"That… is ominous- You realize how omnious that sounds, don't you?"

"What? No, you're being ridiculous. Come on."

Unsurprisingly, their banter kept up all the way to Hogsmeade and Draco's stupid drink place. Surprisingly, though, it… They never slipped into anything that was too mean. It was always teasing and… friendly? Draco led Harry inside, being surprisingly… Gentle. "Ah, Rina."

"Well, well, look who's back!" Rina, no doubt a former Slytherin, looked absolutely delighted at seeing Draco. "It's been too long!"

"Well… Busy times." Draco stepped up to the counter, smiling at her. "The little one?" Harry let himself linger a small amount back, watching the two interact and chat and Draco order two drinks that _had_ to be fake. When he finished his order, he stood back beside Harry as the two waited for their drinks.

"Draco," Harry whispered as quietly as he could get away with. "What the fuck did you just order me?"

"What? Just an espresso with foam and half a pump of white chocolate."

"What does that _mean_?"

"What do you mean what does it mean? That's the type of coffee you got."

"That is not coffee- Whatever just came out of your mouth is not coffee. Coffee is just coffee and then you add cream and sugar. Express with foam and a shot of white chocolate or whatever is not coffee."

Draco rose an eyebrow at him. "It's 'espresso,' and it's not that difficult. It's a type of coffee, espresso is usually more caffeinated, and less flavored. I thought you may like yours a bit softer with a hard edge, so I added the foam, and the white chocolate, and it's a pump, not a shot, if you'll watch the way they make the drinks."

Harry stared for longer than he probably should have before he finally shook his head and, "That's so _complicated_."

"Says you." Draco crossed his arms and huffed, turning his head away from Harry.

"You two been dating for a while, then?" At the question from the girl making their drinks - Rina? - Harry could only stare because… what?

Draco seemed surprised before he laughed. "Oh- Oh, no. Only the past few weeks."

"Really? You two seem natural together." Right- Right. Fake dating.

"We've known each other since first year," Harry shrugged, faking the perfect smile that was half shy and half embarrassed. "We, uh, well, it took a while to see eye-to-eye and realize what was there."

"We got there in the end."

"...Wait, hang on. Is this the one-"

" _So!_ How are the drinks coming?"

"Alright, alright." The girl raised her hands peaceful, wicked grin on her face as she grabbed her wand, flicked it at the drinks, and moved them to float in front of the two. "Enjoy your pumpkin spice hell in a cup."

"I swear, you're just as bad as Blaiziel."

"Who?" Harry paused from where he was giving his drink a cautious sniff and who the fuck was Blaiziel?

Draco rose an eyebrow to Harry. "Blaise Zabini."

Harry stared for what felt like an eternity. "His full name is _Blaiziel._ " That… That was fucking hilarious.

"Yes? What else did you expect?"

"Not that. Not that at all- This is- That is amazing. Is your name short for anything, then- Is _Pansy's_ name short for anything?"

"My name is not, no. Pancella." Draco seemed amused, sipping off his own 'pumpkin spice hell.'

"There is no way she is actually named Pancella. That's- That is an awful name. No wonder she goes by Pansy."

"It's a perfectly respectable name… Though yes, it is a bit awful." There were so many comments Harry could make, but all of them would probably rub Draco the wrong way and get him offended, so Harry only smiled and spoke quietly.

"Your name isn't, at least."

"No, of course not. Mother followed the naming of the Blacks," he sniffed.

"Right. Star names- Hey, how come she doesn't have a star name?" Because, really. Sirius, Bellatrix, Andromeda. Harry _had_ done decently in Astronomy.

"Because it's a mythological name," Draco answered so easily.

"Right." Draco was weird as could be, but, well. Harry could think of wrose. Grabbing the other's free hand, Harry tugged him along towards the door. "C'mon. You can talk more about mythological names as I drink this poison you ordered for me."

"Fine then."


	7. Harvest Moon (Single Dad Harry)

**A/N: Yet another AU with an unofficial title, we refer to this as Single Dad Harry. Draco was bitten by Fenrir as punishment for the incident around Easter at Malfoy Manor, and with Harry being Teddy's godfather, Harry does his best to raise him without letting out that Teddy and Draco are both werewolves. ~Kas**

* * *

Harry couldn't stop his pacing. It wasn't- It wasn't that he shifted like Draco and Teddy, but after that bite, he still- He could almost _feel_ the moon, in some degrees. This one felt… Menacing. "Harry, really," Draco sighed on the couch. "We've been fine the past few moons, I doubt anything will change with this one."

"There's always the possibility," Harry muttered, wrinkling his nose at the bitter taste of 'Constant Vigilance' that lurked in the back of his throat. "I just- You know?"

Draco was only holding Teddy close, looking ready to fall over then and there. "I know. But we'll be okay." Harry gave a quiet whine, walking over to sit next to the two, rubbing his palm against Teddy's cheek.

"I'm still going to worry about you two." Draco leaned his head onto Harry's shoulder.

"It's All Hallow's Eve."

"All the more reason to worry," Harry huffed, leaning back and letting himself relax a small amount. "You took your Wolfsbane?"

"Every moon," he told him, still cuddling Teddy, who was only cooing and making all-around cute noises. Harry couldn't resist the urge to kiss his cheek, quickly followed by kissing Draco's cheek.

"I'll be here the whole time."

"I know." Ah… There it was. Moonlight began to shine through the curtains. The beam of moonlight crossed the room as slow and sweet as molasses, but it pressed against their skin like the searing heat of an unexpected burn. While Harry grimaced and bit off a growl that built up and rumbled in the back of his throat, Draco and Teddy were vastly different. It was almost unbearable to hear the sounds of bones shifting and skin _stretching_ \- God, to think that had a sound…

And then their expressions. Teddy's discomfort was something that bordered on pain as fur poked through his skin and grew rapidly, bones shifting and twisting and turning to compensate for his changing body. Draco was much more resigned, but Harry could see the burden the shift had given him - the weight that it put on his shoulders. It was over in a heartbeat, but that heartbeat felt as if it lasted for an eternity. Draco was still on the couch, but Teddy had moved to the floor, the both of them quietly whining. Draco was nosing gently at Harry's thigh.

"I'm here," Harry said softly, carding his fingers through Draco's ruff. "I'm right here." Draco's eyes closed, and Teddy only began to paw at Harry's legs, beginning to bounce around the room. Harry couldn't even try to keep in his laughter as he curled over Draco, settling down against him. "Teddy's here, too, and being very adorable." Draco made a quiet whining sound again, but it didn't _seem_ painful. Oh- Oh! Now Teddy could climb onto the couch! That was good.

Harry watched him for a moment and he knew without a doubt that Teddy was going to end up falling right onto Draco. Harry should probably stop that from happening. Probably. Draco yelped when Teddy leapt onto him, and started to rise before he realized it was Teddy. He settled back down, Teddy curled up between his legs.

"It's alright," Harry laughed, kissing at Draco's head and feeling something in him settle at having the two close and safe. It was better than some of their last full moons. "You're both going to be just fine."


	8. The Bad Guy (Potters Live AU)

**A/N: The Potters Live AU is exactly as it sounds. Peter was never made the Secret Keeper, instead it was Sirius, leading to the Potters surviving Halloween Night, and Harry never having to live with the Dursleys, and growing up in the muggle world. ~Kas**

* * *

Considering the climate of the times, Sirius felt no shame in drawing his wand and casting a shield charm over himself the second he heard a knock on the door. He wasn't expecting anyone tonight, but seeing a friend could be just as bad as seeing a foe, these days. "Sirius? Sirius, it's Peter! Let me in, please!" Peter? He sounded panicked… Death Eaters nearby?

Sirius went to the door cautiously, keeping the charm up as he looked through the peephole. He saw Peter standing there and looking a bit worse for wear, pale and sweating and panicked to a large degree. "You know the drill, Peter, I can't let you in without knowing it's you!"

"Ask me anything, Sirius, anything at all, it's me, it's Peter!" Merlin, Sirius wasn't in doubt if this was Peter, really. No one could panic like him when shit went down.

"What's your animagus form, Peter?"

"It's a rat, just like yours is a hound! Now hurry and open the door, we don't have much time!"

"Alright, alright, calm down." Sirius opened the door, ready to cast a few charms to see if the area was clear before he was noticing just how badly Peter was shaking. "Peter? Hey, buddy, what's wrong, what happened?"

"James, Lily, and Harry- Can't apparate straight in- Just down the street, we need to go!" His voice was shaking so much Sirius could hardly make out a word he said.

"Whoa, whoa, hey, Peter. Calm down and talk to me, what's going on with James, Lily, and Harry?" Couldn't Apparate- Fuck, the wards. "What happened?" Sirius was already moving out the door to follow after Peter. Peter led Sirius down to the street, and Sirius felt as they passed through the wards.

"Nothing yet." Yet. Sirius didn't much like that because that meant _something_ was about to happen.

"Did Voldemort make another move? They should be safe right now, shouldn't they- Fuck, why would they even _leave_ the house?"

"Oh, don't worry," Peter snickered. He _snickered._ "He will make one." What the fuck-

Dropping down and just narrowly avoiding a spell shooting over his head, Sirius vowed to thank Moody and his crazy training the second he survived this. "Peter, get-" Make one. He will _make one_. Oh… Oh, no.

Peter was sneering at him. "Just tell us where they are. You're a _pureblood!_ He doesn't have to kill you!"

"Tell you- Peter, what are you _doing_?!" Sirius threw up another shield charm, snarling when he saw multiple Death Eaters stepping up to surround them. Had Peter been placed under the Imperius curse?

"I'm fighting on the right side, Sirius. You can join us!" Yeah, join them and watch corpses pile up to the fucking sky.

"The right side? Sorry, when did the right side become about killing everyone who thought differently! Peter, this isn't you. You're our friend-"

"Yes, of _course_ I'm your friend, Sirius! I'm the runt that no one cares for! The one always lagging behind, poor little Peter. I heard what they all had to say about me, don't you worry. But oh, I'll show them."

"Peter…" This wasn't an Imperius curse. This was just- God. _Fuck_. How had they missed this? "You'd really betray us just to- To what? To prove you're brave? Peter, you've _never_ been the runt!"

"No, I haven't. And now everyone else will see that, too. _Tell us where they are._ "

Hearing at least three people yell out a Crucio, Sirius swore and raised his wand to fight and right. Right. He needed to get to James and Lily right the fuck now. No matter what that meant. Even under the pain, Sirius held his wand firmly in hand. Godric's Hollow. He had to apparate to Godric's Hollow. The pain seemed to worsen, but he shakily turned, waving his wand. "No- No, he's _apparating, stop him-!_ "

A sharp crack tore the air and Sirius stumbled on his feet and hit the ground, grunting at the sharp jolts of pain and he- He was alive. It was quiet as could be and he was _alive_ \- James. Lily. Harry. He needed to get to them. Sirius looked around him- Godric's Hollow. He was in Godric's Hollow, thank god/ Sirius ran to their house, pounding on their door. "James, Lily, it's an emergency!"

There were a long few moments where it was silent before he heard James begin to speak and _thank fucking god_ he was still alive. "We need to know it's-"

"Padfoot, Prongs, Moony, and Wormtail, that's all us. You're an animagus, you take on the form of a stag, and your left nostril whistles when you snore, Lily's patronus used to be a lion until she fell in love with you, let me the fuck in it's an _emergency_!"

"James, let him in, it's him," he heard Lily say through the door, bless her soul. There was a bit of grumbling before James opened the door, Sirius making sure it was shut and locked before he was throwing his arms around the two in a hug.

"You're okay. You're okay, you're okay, you're okay- Harry. Lils, where's Harry right now?"

"Harry? He's upstairs in his crib trying to go down for the night- Sirius, what is all of this about?" Lily pulled away from him, searching his face and frowning at what she saw. "What's happened, Siri?"

"Peter, he-" Sirius winced as his voice cracked and how the fuck had they missed this? "He betrayed us all. He came to my house banging on the door and saying it was an emergency and then we were surrounded by Death Eaters and he was _grinning_."

"What? No, no, Sirius, they must have Imperiused him-" James could never fucking listen to reason!

"James they didn't fucking Imperius him!" Sirius only just barely remembered to hush his voice, remembering that Harry was upstairs. "He looked into my eyes, he was going on about all this shit about being the runt and 'poor little Peter.' There's- I saw his eyes, James, he wasn't being controlled."

James shook his head, guiding Sirius over to the chair. "Come on- How could we have missed something like that? And you're _sure?_ That doesn't sound like him."

"Don't you think I know that!" Sirius snapped, feeling a bit bad at the look on James' face. "James… James, I'm sure. I thought- I thought he was being forced- I _want_ to believe it was forced, but we- We fucked up, James. We missed it."

"How, though. How could we have- We need to get Rem over here. Now." James picked up his wand before pausing. "You need to ask him to meet you somewhere neutral. Somewhere the Death Eaters won't even think you might go."

"Oh, yeah, that really narrowed it down," Sirius grumbled. "I'd say Grimmauld, but that's where they found me. Fuck, I don't know… Knockturn Alley, maybe?"

"Home of the Death Eaters?" James thought before he slapped Sirius' knee. "Hogsmeade."

"Hogsmeade? That is the stupidest place we could ever think to meet." Sirius paused, giving a bit of a grin. "It's brilliant."

" _Exactly._ " James patted his back none too gently. "Get on it, then."

"So pushy," Sirius grumbled, standing up and sighing. "Keep your wand on you, yeah?"

"Yeah," James said, nodding.

"No, don't mind me. I'll just wait here. Like some distressed damsel."

"I mean, you can pull it off really well. There's a reason you never got caught shoving that kid off his broom," Sirius pointed out, walking back over to Lily and holding his arms out. "Hug for the road?" Lily stared at him before hugging him tightly and kissing his cheek.

"Hurry back, I want you two under this roof for now."

"We'll be back quick as a flash," Sirius promised, lowering his voice. "This isn't forever. Soon you'll be hexing these bastards left and right."

Lily gave him a nod. "I'd better be."

"Right. I'll go find our furry little friend, then, and get his arse back here."

James nodded while Lily sat beside him. "We'll wait here."

"I'll be back soon." Sirius gave them a last smile before leaving through the door and Apparating as soon as he was past the boundaries, and, right. He needed- He needed to find Remus.


	9. Dessert (Twisting Time AU)

**A/N: This is a potential exchange during year three of our Twisting Time AU, the first fic of which being The Second Meeting. Go ahead, and read what's uploaded of it so far, you may be interested! Happy (American) Thanksgiving! ~Kas**

* * *

"You know, of all the weird changes so far, this is the weirdest." Harry was sitting next to Draco, the two stashed away in a corner and watching the dancing that was going on at the Malfoy Christmas Ball.

"You attending our Yule Ball?" Draco sniffed. "It was bound to happen." Hiding a smile, Harry chewed on a piece of whatever he was eating. Something sweet.

"No. Being away from the Dursleys. That's the weird part of my life right now."

"You never even left Hogwarts for holidays before. How is it strange _now_ that you still haven't gone back to… _them._ "

"It's… Being here reminds me that I never have to go back. I-" The laugh ripped itself out of him before he could stop it. "I never have to see them again. I thought I'd be stuck with them until I was seventeen just like last time."

"Why should you be? _They_ weren't protecting you from anything." Draco paused, looking over at Harry and licking his thumb- Oh, come on.

"Don't- Draco I know what you're about to do and you better not even _think_ -" Draco was now scrubbing Harry's cheek with his thumb. Fucking- Oh.

"Mm. Blueberry." This little shit.

"You're trying to kill me." Fucking Draco bloody Malfoy. Prat. "Why don't you go dance or something."

"There's no one out there that I'm interested in dancing with."

"Uh huh." Well, at least Harry was getting used to Draco speak. "Anyone in the room that you're interested in dancing with?"

"Now, I never said anything about _that._ " Even as he let his eyes drift across the dance floor, the blond was smirking.

"You're such a Slytherin," Harry complained, setting his plate of desserts aside and, well. He was the Gryffindor. Pushing himself to his feet, Harry held a hand out to Draco. "Well? Come on." Draco sighed.

"I was enjoying the desserts." He let his hand fall into Harry's, standing as well, as his other hand glided across the table and- Oh, that shit. Couldn't he stop eating sweets for two seconds?

"I can see that." Harry dragged Draco along before he could try and bring both their plates, pulling and tugging until they were on the floor but in a nice, secluded little corner. "If your mom see us, I'm sacrificing you and running."

"If mother sees us, you're going to be a _gentleman_ and thank her for having you."

"I'm still going to run afterwards, though." Harry paused, hand lingering in Draco's. "Do you want to lead or follow?"

"I've danced lead for _years._ Do you even know how to dance?" Oh, he was really nervous, then.

"The basics," Harry nodded, nudging Draco into lead position before taking follow and giving a little grin. "I know a bit of both, but this is probably good. You can keep me from making too much of a fool of myself."

"You had better not step on my feet, or I'll lock you in the potions cellar for a _week,_ " Draco hissed at him.

"I'll do my best," Harry hummed, pulling at Draco as he took a step back. "C'mon then, lead."


	10. Witch (Time Twister)

"Draco, darling! Can you believe how wonderful this ball is?"

"Of course. It's a Malfoy ball." And it _was_ nice to have Malfoy Manor back. He and Harry had scrubbed near every inch of it free from _his_ presence and it was once again back to it's former splendor - although Draco still had a fond spot for Grimmauld Place.

Pansy was beaming at him. "So. All that time travel nonsense, you _must_ know a thing or two as to whom I marry for wealth. I must say, Blaise's mother had the right idea."

"Hush, you," Draco huffed, unable to stop his smile. "And I don't, actually. I left just after the war. This is- This is the oldest I've ever been, actually." That was- That was odd to think about, really.

" _Really?_ Oh, Draco darling, have you _always_ been so obsessed with him?" Doing his best not to flush, Draco looked over to where Harry was chatting with Ron and Hermione, bright grin on his face.

"I... It was different in the time I came from. We- We could have had this, but a wrong first meeting had us hating each other. It didn't take me very long to realize it wasn't always hate I felt for him," Draco sighed softly.

Pansy laughed beside him. "You two? Hating each other? Oh, Draco, you do love your stories."

"Pansy..." Draco gave her a bit more of a serious look. "It was bad." His first sixth year had been... He didn't like to think about that fight they had in the bathroom.

Finally she seemed to get it as she frowned. "...Oh. How bad?"

"I..." Draco swallowed. "We parted well enough the last day I saw him. He seemed... It was like he knew that we'd never see each other again- It was like he knew what I was _up_ to, but I think- I think he was happy? That I could have a chance again? He wasn't bad, but we just never clicked. The circumstances were never in our favor in that time."

"And in this time, that was the first thing you changed."

"The very first," Draco nodded. "I just wanted us to be friends, but, well..." Draco gave a grin. "Harry Potter doesn't keep plans very well."

"You know," she giggled. "You could have stopped at 'Harry Potter doesn't keep plans.'"

"You're right," Draco laughed. "Absolutely awful, he is."

"Someone I know?" Arms wound around his waist and Draco shivered as he felt Harry lean against his back.

"Not very well, no," Draco teased him. He leaned back into him, humming. "Done gorging yourself already?"

"Not even close," Harry laughed, kissing under his ear. "Insulting my good name with Pansy?"

"There's no greater joy in life." Draco shuddered as Harry's laughter near vibrated against him.

"Well, do that later and come dance with me now."

"Oh, fine," Draco huffed, breaking away from Harry to hug Pansy tightly and kiss her cheek. "Charm and woo all your future late husbands."

"All?" Pansy perked up with a bright smile before disappearing with a wicked laugh, Harry huffing out his own little laugh.

"She's going to end up in a heap of trouble before tonight is through, isn't she?"

"Are you surprised? She is _wickedly_ good at what she does."

"Truly, one of the best Slytherins I know," Harry nodded seriously before sweeping Draco up into position and leading him into a basic waltz with a charming smile. "Not my favorite, though."

"She had better not be." As they spun round the ballroom, Draco knew he wouldn't change this for the world.


	11. Browse (Cursed Mute Harry)

**AU Summary: Explained well enough in the "title," Harry has been rendered mute by a curse while out in the field. Unfortunately, Draco Malfoy is one of the best damn Cursebreakers they have. Damn his luck.**

* * *

After another failed attempt at a counter-curse, Harry took to browsing Draco's office because, well... He didn't need a reason. Besides, annoying Draco was always a fun pastime.

"I must have something here, I swear I've heard of this before..." Draco was muttering to himself, scratching something into his parchment. Some note or other. Harry didn't bother to pay very much attention, only poking at a book or two before thinking better and poking at the rest with his wand. Just in case. "Perhaps... No, don't be ridiculous, Draco, can't ask him..." Great. He talked to himself.

Putting his wand away and grabbing a spare quill and some parchment, Harry wrote down a quick message. ' _Can't ask who?_ ' A pause and he wrote again. ' _Get pen and paper you heathen._ '

"No, It's nothing. Most likely a dead end, anyhow." Draco shook his head, the tail of his quill resting lightly against his lips. Harry had to push some indecent thoughts away before he pushed the paper closer, half kicking at Draco's chair and now he was / _curious_ /. Draco shot him a glare before sighing. "It would require a trip to Azkaban."

Hm. That left a lot of people that it could... ' _Your dad?_ ' Draco only gave him a small nod. ' _I can get us clearance if you think talking to him would help._ '

"I'm not concerned over whether we'll be able to gain clearance- I don't expect you to understand."

' _You're scared of what he'll think of you? How he'll react? How you'll react? I'm mute I can't read minds._ '

"No, I'm not frightened of what he'll think. My relationship with my father is... Complicated." Draco shrugged. "Some days I think you really have got it easier."

Harry opened his mouth before closing it with a silent huff, tapping the quill against the parchment for a second. 'M _aybe. Any other ideas then?_ '

"Well, how do you feel about becoming my three-horned toad?"

' _Your WHAT?_ '

"I'm going to experiment on you."

...Fuck.


	12. Institution (Children Time Travel)

**AU Summary: Harry, while on an Auror raid to flush out the New Risers, finds three kids caught up in the middle of one of their kooky rituals. The problem quickly arises when he takes them to Cursebreaker Malfoy and he realizes these must be his kids. Then they learn the kids are from the future. Because of course that's how his life goes.**

* * *

" _Wow,_ " he heard Aquarius whisper when they arrived in Hogsmeade to make the walk up to the castle. "It's _so big._ "

"It is, isn't it," Harry laughed, holding Aquarius closer. Her expression was so much like... Like Harry's. When he had first seen Hogwarts.

Even both the boys were beaming, Scorpius looking up at them. "You think I can get Sorted early?" While Draco tried to school his expression, Harry felt no shame in laughing.

"I don't think that's how it works, Scorp. You'll have to wait a few weeks like everybody else." Scorpius groaned, crossing his arms.

"But we're already here! And I should get special treatment!"

"And just what makes you think you should get special treatment?" Harry raised an eyebrow, tugging lightly on Scorpius' ear until he gave as dramatic a whine as Draco usually did. "You're just as normal as every other student who's about to go here."

Scorpius swatted at Harry until he let go. "But we're _better._ "

"I'm blaming you for this," Harry half-glared at Draco, giving a little huff.

"Blaming _me?_ Please, I have nothing to do with this." Draco had Siri's hand in his own as they reached the castle doors. The doors opened slowly to reveal an empty hall, Harry scrunching his nose up.

"That's creepy- That's really creepy. Why are they always so dramatic? I don't remember McGonagall being this dramatic before."

"It's most likely just the magic of Hogwarts," Draco shrugged off, leading them inside.

"'The magic of Hogwarts.'" Harry shook his head. "Wizards, honestly." He would never truly get used to this world... he kind of loved that.

"I would expect she is in her office, then." Draco was looking around the hallways as much as Harry. It must have been class time. Harry nudged Scorpius along towards the stairs, feeling rather nostalgic as they walked through the school. Scorpius and Siri were nearly tripping over themselves to look around at everything.

"What's in there?"

"Where are the dungeons?"

"Does McGonagall still teach Transfiguration?"

"No idea, down the stairs instead of up, and... probably?" Harry looked to Draco. " _Does_ she still teach Transfiguration?"

"How am I supposed to know?"

"Fair point." Looking around, Harry walked over to a portrait of an old man looking for his glasses - they were on top of his head. "Do you know where Headmistress McGonagall is right now?"

"Huh? Yes, yes, she's teaching her class- Have you seen my glasses?" The kids all giggled.

"Top of your head," Harry said, trying not to laugh himself as he nudged Scorpius along. He kind of wanted to take his hand so he didn't run off, but he was eleven and probably getting 'independent,' so nudges would have to do. "Come on, this way."

"Okay- So is she gonna be my Transfiguration teacher, when I go back?"

"Maybe. I'm not sure if she still teachers Transfiguration in your time," Harry said truthfully. "It's possible she retired like Dumbledore did. He used to teach Transfiguration before becoming Headmaster."

Scorpius looked close to fainting. "But- But Dad said she's the best Tranfigur-er he knows! And he knows at least three!" Don't laugh, Harry, don't laugh. Just- 'At least three.' Fuck, these kids were adorable.

"Then you know that she wouldn't resign without making sure her successor is just as good, yeah?"

" _How_ can someone be 'just as good' as Minerva gave-Dad-a-broom-and-rescued-Dad-from-a-insane-wizard McGonagall!"

"Rescued him from an insane..." Harry stared for a moment before it clicked and he was hiding his laughter against Aquarius' curls and oh, god. One of them had told the kids _the ferret story._

"I've got to agree," Draco said. "How many other professors are animagi, the height of transfiguration?"

"Alright, alright, no one is ever going to be as good as Minerva McGonagall."

"Why, thank you for that assessment, Mr. Potter." At the dry, amused tone, Harry suddenly felt like he was a student trying to squirm his way out of trouble again.

Draco only smiled and nodded beside him. "Headmistress. We thought you may be able to help us."

"No more dark wizards taking over my school, I hope." McGonagall paused, a small frown coming to her face as she looked between the three children that surrounded them. "And who, may I ask, are these children?"

"This is Scorpius, Sirius, and Aquarius. They're from the future."


	13. Society (MalfoyMason Dinner)

**AU Summary: Fairly self explanatory, instead of the Mason Dinner, it's a Malfoy dinner.**

* * *

"-no noise, pretending I don't exist," Harry sighed, hardly listening. He didn't really understand what all the fuss was over, and he didn't care to. Vernon had been talking about this dinner for _weeks_ and Harry had tuned it out every single time. It wasn't like he was going to be involved in any of it, anyways. He was just something they locked away when company came over.

"I'm warning you now, boy, this dinner is incredibly important. So I'll not have any of _your_ sort of business interfering, or you'll never see those _friends_ of yours again."

"Not a problem," Harry muttered, a bit pleased to see Vernon flustered. He wasn't looking forward to all the screaming- The doorbell buzzed and all of them jumped.

"They're early," Petunia gasped. "We weren't expecting them for fifteen more minutes!"

"What kind of people just _show up_ before the set time," Vernon muttered, gaze snapping to Harry. "You. Upstairs. _Now_." Harry shrugged and walked up the stairs to his bedroom. "Lucius, this is a pleasure!" What kind of a name was Lucius?

Shaking it off, Harry carefully closed his bedroom door and moved to collapse on his bed. This was going to be a long dinner, probably, and he wanted no part of it.

And then it all went to shit. A little brat called a 'house elf' was going to get him locked up for the next year. He wasn't sure how it led to this, but Harry was now standing in the middle of a ruined kitchen with Petunia's pudding splattered everywhere and the plate shattered at his feet and he- He was dead. He was so dead. "What on earth?" That must have been Mrs. So-and-So, and oh boy. This... This looked _really_ bad.

Vernon reached the door first and Harry suddenly felt more afraid than he had in years. "I'm so _terribly_ sorry. It's our nephew - disturbed in the head. We usually keep him confined to his room." The look in Vernon's eyes...

The woman Harry didn't know reached the doorway next, and she took in the scene before- Before looking at Harry's forehead? " _Harry Potter?_ "

" _Harry Potter?!_ " There was a skittering of feet and Harry saw _Draco Malfoy_ standing in the doorway and found himself speaking before he could stop himself.

"You're having dinner with the _Malfoys_?!" At Vernon's dark look, Harry snapped his mouth shut and oh- Oh, this was so not good. This was very not good.

"What are you doing here, _Potter?!_ "

"Draco," his- his mother scolded him. Harry wanted nothing more than to ask what _he_ was doing there, but Vernon was still looking murderous and Petunia wasn't much better and the kitchen was still a wreck so he'd just... Be absolutely silent and pretend he didn't exist. The woman took a breath. "Right, then, that makes this bit easier." She took her- Her wand out of her sleeve and Harry watched as the mess was cleaned up.

"You're- You're one of his lot?" Vernon's voice sounded high and strangled, and Harry gave a little shudder as magic washed over him and cleaned him as well and that was... odd.

"His... Lot?" The woman frowned, glancing back to her husband - Lucius Malfoy, apparently.

"His- _His_ lot," Vernon muttered, gesturing violently to Harry who flinched on instinct and okay. Okay. He could escape out the backdoor and then run away and hide and never come back. Seemed like a solid plan.

"Do you mean _wizards,_ Dursley," Lucius asked. "If so, then, yes."

"I- I see." Ah, the ultimate conundrum. High society versus Vernon's hatred of magic. "Well- Well then! Let's continue on with dinner, now that this whole mess is sorted out."

"...Yes, let's. Draco? Why don't the three of you retire elsewhere for the time being while the grown ups talk business."

"Wha-" Draco seemed to force himself to calm down. "Yes, father."

"R... Right." Vernon looked back to Harry as Harry began to edge his way out of the kitchen. "I'll talk to _you_ later." Ah, that... Was not going to be good.

Draco only had his arms crossed. "Well?"

"Well what," Harry muttered, heading for the stairs. "Go talk with Dudley or something."

" _That_ pig?"

"I- What?" Harry stared and... Huh. He always thought Draco and Dudley would be the type to get along.

" _Please,_ " Draco scoffed. "It was obvious he had no sort of real manners, cared _only_ for the dinner, that was adequate at best, and didn't understand a single thing mentioned about any of the business goings-ons."

Holding back laughter, Harry glanced back to Draco before shaking his head and continuing to his room. "Then go throw a few curses and hexes at him. That'd be fun to see." Draco sighed at that- Was he following him?

"We're not allowed to use magic on muggles, you dolt. Regardless of whether or not they are aware of its existence."

"Shame." Definitely following him. "Why are you following me?"

"Because father disagrees with children at the business table."

"Yeah, okay, whatever, but why are you following _me_?"

"What else is there to do?"

"Not bother me." Did- Did he just snort?

"Why would I do _that?_ "

"Because you hate me?" Jeez, eh had more important things to worry about- Hm. "What's a house elf?" That's what Dobby had called himself, right?

"A house elf?" Malfoy sounded confused. "They're lesser beings. Servants."

"Right." He had almost managed to forget who he was talking to. "Great. Any idea why one would hate me?"

"A house elf that hates you? Not unless their master ordered them to do something awful to you."

"Great." As if one crazy evil dark wizard wasn't enough to deal with in his life.

"...You really live here?"

"Yeah. It's my Aunt and Uncle's place. My mom's side." Draco was frowning as he looked around at Harry's room. Apparently it wasn't up to snuff for the priss. Harry went over to Hedwig to check on her, smiling a bit at her soft coos. "Hey, girl..."

"This is just the- The muggle home. The one you lot use to look like muggles."

"The- What?" Harry turned back to look at Draco, confused beyond belief. "I mean- I mean they are muggles?"

"Not you- Is that- Is that a _lock?_ Why is your owl locked up? That's unhealthy, I can't believe she hasn't fallen over-" Draco took his wand out of his sleeve and pointed it at Hedwig's cage. " _Alohamora._ "

The lock unclicked and Harry scrambled to catch it, shushing Hedwig at once. "Hedwig- Hedwig, no, girl, please, you can't go out, yet. You know what he'll do if he sees you're gone."

"She _can't go out?_ " Harry shut his window tightly and bit his lip before at least letting Hedwig out of the cage so she could stretch her wings out. Poor girl...

"No, she can't. Uncle Vernon would kill me- Why do you think there was a lock to begin with?"

Draco stared at him for a second before turning around- " _Father!_ "

"What- What are you doing?" Harry hissed, trying to catch Hedwig and bring her back before Vernon ran up at hearing the yelling. Draco was hurrying down the stairs, Harry ushering Hedwig back into her cage before following after him.

"Father, we need to leave." Oh- Well, that was alright, then. The sooner they were gone the better.

"Draco, we're in the middle of talking business," Lucius responded coolly. "I'm sure you can wait a bit longer." Draco started talked again but- But Harry had _no_ idea what he was saying. Neither of his parents really... Really reacted to whatever he said.

"So, um, it was- It was nice to have you visit, then?" Harry said hesitantly, trying to avoid looking at Vernon and oh, he was in so much trouble for this.

Lucius sighed, rising to stand. "Apologies, Dursleys, but we apparently must be getting home. Draco left a time-sensitive potion brewing."

"Right." Vernon did not look at all pleased by that, Harry only creeping his way back to the stairs. If he could get to his room, then- An owl flew through an open window and dropped a letter at Vernon's feet and oh. Oh, no. That couldn't be good.

"Oh, apologies, Harry dear," Draco's mother said. "That was most likely my fault."

"Oh, um, that's- That's okay," Harry said with uncertainty, watching Petunia snatch up the letter before anyone else could. Considering it was from the Ministry, it was probably something not good.

"You're not allowed to do- To do magic outside of school," Petunia said quietly, smiling for their guests. "I guess it slipped your mind to tell us, Harry, dear." Oh- No- No, no, no, that was- Them thinking he _could_ do magic was the only thing keeping him from- From being shoved back into the cupboard!

"Oh, you're Lily's sister, aren't you?" The room went dead silent, Harry watching as Petunia forced on a fake smile towards Draco's mother.

"I'm surprised you know."

"I was in school briefly at the same time. She was well acquainted with my cousin." She- She was?

"Your cousin?" Petunia frowned, looking to be trying to remember something she no doubt shoved away before a word slipped out of her that sounded like 'Sirius.' She then looked horrified with herself.

"Oh, you do know him."

"Vaguely." Right. This was a great time to escape because Vernon was now reading the letter and looking between it and Harry and, aha, no.

" _Father,_ " Draco said more insistently. Lucius seemed to flick his eyes around the room before saying something back that, once again, Harry did not understand. It sounded like another language like French or Italian or something weird like that. Draco finally nodded, looking back at Harry. "Potter."

"Malfoy," Harry shot back before he could stop himself. "I'd say it was a pleasure, but it really wasn't."

"Then we're agreed. See you at school."

"Yeah... See you," Harry muttered. For as much as it was _Draco_ who had found him here, he was still... He was still part of the world Harry wanted to go back to more than anything.


	14. The Cost - Time Comes w a Price

**AU Summary: Post-Time Twister, Draco ends up being transported back to his 'original' timeline, however Harry - _his_ Harry, the one that he loves - was an unexpected stowaway.**

 **Author's Note: This account is going to be phasing out the use of FFN, expect this to be the last drabble of this series posted on this account. You can find more over on Archive Of Our Own (AO3) under the name YouAreMyHappilyEverAfter.**

 **To the c/p trolls: You guys have nothing better to do? You know that after you send the same message more than twice we just stop reading them and delete the emails, right? You know that you're not convincing anyone to stop shipping or reading or writing this, right? If you hate this ship so much, why are you actively seeking it out? That's like if I stood in front of a theater that was playing Cursed Child and just screamed about how bad it was. Y'all need to grow up. It's about fictional dicks, not real dicks, don't take it so hard.**

* * *

"Harry, what if... We can't go back? What if this is just the price I have to pay?"

"I don't believe that." Harry sounded so sure. "I don't believe there's anything out there cruel enough to make you suffer for doing so much _good_."

"Then you still obviously have no idea what I've done."

"I know what you've done," Harry said softly, moving to sit next to Draco on the couch. "And I still think you've done more good than bad."

Draco looked at Harry properly. "You don't believe anything is cruel enough to make me suffer? Then why did we lose mother?" Harry opened his mouth before closing it with a sharp snap, expression dropping at once int something almost... guilty? "Harry- Harry, _no._ We were in the middle of a battle, there was a million things going on at once. Harry James Potter, it was _not_ your fault."

It spoke volumes of how much he had improved over the years that Harry didn't fight back, but he didn't agree, either. He just leaned forward to rest his head on Draco's shoulder with a quiet sigh and drop of his shoulders. Draco shifted them until they were both laying on the couch, Harry on top of him as always. "Apparently I didn't suffer enough."

"If I can't blame myself then you can't blame yourself either," Harry muttered softly, relaxing on top of Draco. "We're together. That's- That's something, yeah?"

"We're together. That's more than I could ask for." Draco was running his hand through Harry's hair. "You really are okay with all of it? I nearly killed people."

"We went through a war. You went through it twice." Harry tilted his head up, giving a weak smile. "We've all done things we're not proud of, but it's okay. We'll be okay."

Draco smiled back down at him. "I love that you can believe that."

"Because you don't," Harry laughed, hand reaching up to cup Draco's cheek. "So I'll believe it enough for the both of us, no matter the cost."

"I love you," Draco leaned forward, kissing him softly. Harry didn't pause to kiss him back and... Yeah. They would be okay. One day.


End file.
